WASHINGTON, DC — Tonight President Obama vetoed a joint congressional resolution that would overturn his administration’s Clean Water Rule, the measure that restores Clean Water Act protections to streams that help provide drinking water to 1 in 3 Americans. John Rumpler, senior attorney for Environment America, issued the following statement:

“As the water contamination crisis unfolds in Flint, Michigan, the timing couldn’t be better for the president to take a stand for our drinking water.

“In defending the Clean Water Rule against attacks from big polluters and their allies in Congress, the president has in his corner the vast majority of the American people— including small businesses, farmers, scientists, and local elected officials.

“Unfortunately, polluters will continue to try to muddy the waters through litigation, and we’ll continue to bring Americans together to protect the Clean Water Rule.

“And now that the president has defeated the last of these polluter attacks in Congress, it is time to begin tackling the next major threats to our drinking water — from factory farms to lead-lined pipes.”